Tag Archive | Regency romance

About The Test of Time

While vacationing in England, Katia spies a large mansion and somehow passes through time, landing in the arms of the otherworldly and enchanting Lord Landon. Trapped in a parallel Regency-era, Katia struggles to not fall for Landon but his charm proves too much for her. Just when she is about to confess her love for him, Katia travels through time yet again.

If Katia can’t master the test of time, she’ll never be reunited with Landon.

Excerpt

“You dreamt of me?”

“Yes, many times. I always knew one day you would find your way to me.” She expected him to color again, but the look he leveled her with made her blush. “What did we do in your dreams?” Her voice carried despite the quietness of her tone.

“We… ah… got to know each other quite well.” He coughed and drank some of his mulled wine.

About the Author

Nicole Zoltack loves to write in many genres, especially romance, whether fantasy, paranormal, or regency. She’s also an editor for MuseItUp Publishing and works as a freelance editor.

When she’s not writing about knights, superheroes, or zombies, she loves to spend time with her loving husband and three energetic young boys. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unicorns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire, dressed in garb. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on. Her current favorite TV show is The Walking Dead.

To learn more about Nicole and her work, visit her blog at http://NicoleZoltack.blogspot.com. She can be found on most any social media site under Nicole Zoltack. Stalk away!

Bluestockings and wallflowers seek happily-ever-afters. Only handsome, respectable and deeply romantic persons need apply. Dukes and marquesses will be given special consideration. Apply within.

This anthology contains nine fun, heart-tugging, and wholesomely romantic Regency novellas that are as sigh-worthy as they are sweet, brought to you by USA Today and national bestselling, award-winning authors.

When strangers meet during a summer sojourn to the continent, love soon blossoms under the Spanish sun. But things aren’t all what they seem. When Libby discovers her English gentleman isn’t at all who she thought he was, can their new relationship survive the shock of being . . . Deceived by a Duke?

Captivated by the Wallflower by Aileen Fish, USA Today and nationally bestselling author

Finding the perfect husband for wallflower Lady Susan is a means to an end for Viscount Knightwick. Falling in love is not part of his plan. Can he keep his heart safe while making hers happy?

A Most Suitable Match by Lily George, national bestselling author

Can confirmed bluestocking and matchmaker Louisa Bradbury compose her own happily ever after with Thomas, the wallflower of the rich and powerful Wright family?

Stealing the Duchess by Marie Higgins, national bestselling author

When Julian Stratford seeks out to steal the duchess as an act of revenge, he mistakenly steals the wrong sister—a wallflower, no less. As they work together to try and solve the mystery, they soon discover that not only are their lives in danger, but so are their hearts.

First Impressions by Elizabeth Johns, national bestselling author

A widower earl, still in need of an heir, reluctantly sets off for London in search of a wife. He infinitely prefers the role of recluse to that of dashing beau.

The Season’s Incomparable prefers books to balls. She agrees to hide her bookish tendencies in exchange for her mother agreeing to limit her to one Season.

Their initial prejudices prevent their feeling they would suit, but an unlikely source may give them another chance…

Treasure Beyond Words by Heather King

Having trusted the wrong man, bluestocking Amelia Burcott is forced to seek employment as a governess in order to support herself. Little does she realize, when she joins the household of the Earl of Raftesbury, that he has a secret as great as her own and needs the right woman to help him conquer his past.

The Earl’s Beloved Match by Bess McBride, national bestselling author

Bluestocking Cora Prentice has no intention of marrying…ever. Tobias, the Early of Momford, has no intention of marrying…ever. But Aunt Mimi has other plans for them as she sets out to make a match between her goddaughter and her adopted nephew!

Save the Last Dance for Me by Cora Lee, award winning author

When Lady Honoria Maitland reunites with her old friend Benedict Grey, she proposes an arrangement: a faux courtship that will smooth wallflower Benedict’s re-entry into society and appease her dying father. But Honoria’s clever plan failed to account for Benedict’s heart…or her own.

The Third MacPherson Sister by Susana Ellis

Rebecca’s older sisters took the ton by storm while she herself has failed to attract a suitor in four Seasons. Miles is pondering his urgent need for a wife when Rebecca lands in his lap in the nave of Bath Abbey. A match between them seems ordained by the heavens… except for the little matter of his past history with her sisters.

Romance in Bath

Rebecca MacPherson and Miles Framingham, Duke of Aylesbury, meet in Bath Abbey while their respective mothers are taking the waters at the Roman Baths.

Miles is sitting in front of a stained glass window and pondering his need for a wife when Rebecca is pushed by a passing crowd into his lap. Is a marriage between them ordained by the heavens?

The next day, they meet again while shopping on the Pulteney Bridge, although this time it appears to be due to the scheming of their matchmaking mothers.

But Rebecca isn’t interested in an arranged marriage—even with a duke—and Miles, besides being reluctant to tie himself down, has a rather scandalous history with one of her “Golden Twin” sisters.

A match between them seems impossible… unless true love truly does conquer all.

About Susana

Susana has always had stories in her head waiting to come out, especially when she learned to read and her imagination began to soar. Voracious reading led to a passion for writing, and her fascination with romance and people of the past landed her firmly in the field of historical romance.

A teacher in her former life, Susana lives in Toledo, Ohio in the summer and central Florida in the winter. She is a member of the Central Florida Romance Writers and the Beau Monde chapters of RWA and Maumee Valley Romance Inc.

Women and Sex in Georgian England

by Em Brown

In Georgian England, women were not considered sexual beings. They could, however, be corrupted by men, who were allowed their sexuality. A woman’s virtue was a dear thing. In Pamela, Samuel Richardson’s highly popular novel of the time, the virtue of the heroine is rewarded when, after resisting all efforts by her wealthy master to seduce her, she receives his sincere proposal for marriage.

To this day, it is not uncommon to find stories where the woman is relatively chaste and inexperienced in sex while the man is the more experienced and more assertive one. If the heroine does have her sexual desires awakened, it is often at the hero’s doing. I’ve written such stories (Mastering the Marchioness and Submitting to the Rake), but these days, my heroines tend to be just as openly sexual, experienced, and feisty in bed as their male counterparts.

The heroine of my Punishing Miss Primrose series, Beatrice Primrose, is completely comfortable in her sexuality and has no trouble asserting it—to the consternation (and arousal) of the hero, Lord Carey. One reviewer described her as a “believably strong as nails female who is more than willing to go toe to toe with this hot as hell [marquess].” In the story, the bedchamber is the setting for a power struggle between two very passionate people, each vying in their own way to right a wrong and avenge the past.

Punishing Miss Primrose is set in the Regency period, but Regency views on the sexuality of women did not differ greatly from those of the Georgian period. Nevertheless, I had a great deal of fun writing a heroine who was strong in her sexuality, even though women who were lascivious were often considered wicked, as in Henry Fielding’s Shamela, or they were prostitutes, as featured in John Clelend’s erotic novel of the same decade, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure.

Woman’s sexuality has come a long way since then, but I can’t help wondering if we still have a ways to go.

About Punishing Miss Primrose, Parts I-V

Miss Primrose needs to be punished.

A member of the wickedly wanton Inn of the Red Chrysanthemum, where the most taboo and illicit pleasures are indulged, Miss Primrose—or Mistress Primrose, as she prefers—left Nicholas Edelton a shell of a man. Now his older brother, Spencer Edelton, the Marquess of Carey, intends to provide her a set-down she will never forget.

Weary from exacting her revenge upon the man who raped her sister, Beatrice Primrose has had her fill of men of privilege and presumption, but she accepts a fateful invitation from a handsome nobleman to spend a sennight at his estate for a grand sum of money. She soon learns, however, that she will not get to reprise her role as Mistress. To her horror, she finds his lordship expects her to submit to him!

But Beatrice won’t give in so easily.

In a clash of wills, fueled by vengeance and lust, Lord Carey and Miss Primrose wrestle for dominance in, and out of, the bedchamber. Their biggest struggle, however, may be against their own desires…

Can Miss Primrose take what she dishes? And will Lord Carey succumb or succeed in punishing Miss Primrose?

Excerpt

“I thought I told you to wait in your chambers.”

The voice at the entrance startled her, and she dropped the book. Turning, she held up her lamp. His lordship stood with his hands at his hips. He had removed his coat, and his hair was slightly disheveled, as if he had run his hands through it several times. There was a gloss to his eyes that she had not noticed during dinner.

“A Mistress does not receive commands. She gives them,” she informed him as if he were her student. She set the lamp on a table nearby.

The corner of his mouth twitched, as if he were about to smirk.

“And you take great pleasure in commanding others,” he said as he advanced toward her.

Did he mean to accuse her? she wondered.

He stopped and picked up her book, noting its title. “How fitting.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Your pardon?”

“Have you read it?”

“Some years ago.”

“And do you find a kindred spirit in the heroine, a whore, thief, and felon?”

The antagonistic edge in his tone made her defensive. She snatched the book from him, though it was his property.

“Through Moll Flanders, the author has painted the plight of women with great sympathy. One cannot help but admire the determination and resourcefulness of Mrs. Flanders.”

“A woman of loose virtue, dishonest, scheming—by her own admission. In the end, she and her husband live in sincere penitence for their wickedness.”

“A luxury not afforded to many.”

He paused in thought. “You believe her actions were compelled by her circumstances.”

“A woman must make her own fortune and seek her own justice. She cannot expect these will be granted to her in any easy form. She may be the most moral and honest and intelligent creature, but these virtues are not always awarded. And if a wrong be done to her, who will defend her? Will it ever be made right?”

Seeing his look of surprise, she realized she must have spoken too vehemently. She glanced away to hide her emotion.

“An unfortunate reality,” he said, after a pause, with more compassion than she expected. “But one’s circumstances, no matter how dire, do not absolve a man of wrongdoing.”

“You would that a beggar submit to starvation rather than steal a loaf of bread?”

“Are your circumstances comparable to that of a beggar?”

She stared at him. Why would he ask such a question? What a strange evening this had become! Though she was partly excited to be engaging in a discussion on the merits of virtue—she could think of no one of late with whom she had had such interesting discourse, and he had listened to her opinions without hastily dismissing them—it was wholly unexpected, leaving her perplexed and a little rattled.

“My circumstances are no affair of yours,” she said.

Hoping to place some distance between them so that she could compose her thoughts, she turned away from him, but he reached for the bookshelf beside her, blocking her path with his right arm. He was now closer to her than ever, and she detected the aroma of brandy upon him. Her pulse quickened. She had neglected to devise a strategy for her engagement with this patron, and she sensed the danger of not having done her due diligence, especially as she found herself responding in a most inconvenient fashion to his nearness.

About the Author

Em Brown writes erotic, mostly historical, romance. She especially enjoys wickedly wanton tales from the Georgian and Regency periods. For more about her stories, please visit www.EroticHistoricals.com, where you can sign up for a quarterly newsletter to be eligible for early peeks, freebies, and specials.

June 18, 1815 was the day Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grande Armée was definitively routed by the ragtag band of soldiers from the Duke of Wellington’s Allied Army in a little Belgian town called Waterloo. The cost in men’s lives was high—22,000 dead or wounded for the Allied Army and 24,000 for the French. But the war with Napoleon that had dragged on for a dozen years was over for good, and the British people once more felt secure on their island shores.

The bicentenary of the famous battle seemed like an excellent opportunity to use that setting for a story, and before I knew it, I had eight other authors eager to join me, and to make a long story short, on April 1, 2015 our Waterloo-themed anthology was released to the world.

You are all invited to

Our Stories

Jillian Chantal: Jeremiah’s Charge

Emmaline Rothesay has her eye on Jeremiah Denby as a potential suitor. When Captain Denby experiences a life-altering incident during the course of events surrounding the Battle of Waterloo, it throws a damper on Emmaline’s plans.

Téa Cooper: The Caper Merchant

The moon in Gemini is a fertile field of dreams, ideas and adventure and Pandora Wellingham is more than ready to spread her wings. When Monsieur Cagneaux, caper merchant to the rich and famous, introduces her to the handsome dragoon she believes her stars have aligned.

Susana Ellis: Lost and Found Lady

Catalina and Rupert fell in love in Spain in the aftermath of a battle, only to be separated by circumstances. Years later, they find each other again, just as another battle is brewing, but is it too late?

Aileen Fish: Captain Lumley’s Angel

Charged with the duty of keeping his friend’s widow safe, Captain Sam Lumley watches over Ellen Staverton as she recovers from her loss, growing fonder of her as each month passes. When Ellen takes a position as a companion, Sam must confront his feelings before she’s completely gone from his life.

Victoria Hinshaw: Folie Bleue

On the night of the 30th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, Aimée, Lady Prescott, reminisces about meeting her husband in Bruxelles on the eve of the fighting. She had avoided the dashing scarlet-clad British officers, but she could not resist the tempting smile and spellbinding charm of Captain Robert Prescott of the 16th Light Dragoons who— dangerously to Aimée— wore blue.

Heather King: Copenhagen’s Last Charge

When Meg Lacy finds herself riding through the streets of Brussels only hours after the Battle of Waterloo, romance is the last thing on her mind, especially with surly Lieutenant James Cooper. However, their bickering uncovers a strange empathy – until, that is, the lieutenant makes a grave error of judgment that jeopardizes their budding friendship…

Christa Paige: One Last Kiss

The moment Colin held Beatrice in his arms he wanted one last kiss to take with him into battle and an uncertain future. Despite the threat of a soldier’s death, he must survive, for he promises to return to her because one kiss from Beatrice would never be enough.

Sophia Strathmore: A Soldier Lay Dying

Amelia and Anne Evans find themselves orphaned when their father, General Evans, dies. With no other options available, Amelia accepts the deathbed proposal of Oliver Brighton, Earl of Montford, a long time family friend. When Lord Montford recovers from his battle wounds, can the two find lasting love?

David W. Wilkin: Not a Close Run Thing at All

Years, a decade. And now, Robert had come back into her life. Shortly before battle was to bring together more than three hundred thousand soldiers. They had but moments after all those years, and now, would they have any more after?

About Lost and Found Lady

On April 24, 1794, a girl child was born to an unknown Frenchwoman in a convent in Salamanca, Spain. Alas, her mother died in childbirth, and the little girl—Catalina—was given to a childless couple to raise.

Eighteen years later…the Peninsular War between the British and the French wages on, now perilously near Catalina’s home. After an afternoon yearning for adventure in her life, Catalina comes across a wounded British soldier in need of rescue. Voilà! An adventure! The sparks between them ignite, and before he returns to his post, Rupert promises to return for her.

But will he? Catalina’s grandmother warns her that some men make promises easily, but fail to carry them out. Catalina doesn’t believe Rupert is that sort, but what does she know? All she can do is wait…and pray.

But Fate has a few surprises in store for both Catalina and Rupert. When they meet again, it will be in another place where another battle is brewing, and their circumstances have been considerably altered. Will their love stand the test of time? And how will their lives be affected by the outcome of the conflict between the Iron Duke and the Emperor of the French?

Jessica will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Click here for the Rafflecopter. Click on the banner above to follow the tour and increase your chances of winning.

Author Insights into Chasing the Other Tisdale

by Jessica Jefferson

Writing as therapy could have been the other name for this novel.

I am a big fan of the “wallflower” concept in historical romance. What woman hasn’t had at least one moment in her life where she felt trapped behind the sidelines, feeling out of her element and easily glossed over?

I was a fairly chunky kid and during the first part of elementary school, my family moved around a lot. We eventually settled in a small town, but many of the kids I attended school with had been together since before kindergarten. It’s hard to break into that kind of environment.

As I grew older, I became more confident with my personality, but less and less confident with my looks. I modeled my heroine Lilly much after myself. Lilly is everyone’s favorite, but still a disaster when it comes to boys. I always compensated with my other short-comings by trying to be the funniest kid in class, just like Lilly.

I can’t say that I modeled my hero, Will, after one guy or another. But his encounters with Lilly are similar to those I have experienced in my past—with some artistic embellishment of course. There was a fairly popular guy at my high school, a few grade levels ahead of me, a real jock type. He made a mooing sound at me once in the hallway. Granted, it could have been in reference to any number of fat kids, but I felt as if it was only meant for me. Years later I met him again while we were both working one of those college-aged mall jobs. I was older and had slimmed out a bit, but he was the same good looking guy he always was. We ended up dating. Nothing serious, just a couple of people who liked to watch movies and occasionally make out. It was the ultimate “chunky girl made good fantasy”, and I made sure to include a similar circumstance in Chasing the Other Tisdale.

A few years later I met my husband. We started out as just friends, having a few mutual acquaintances and attending the same college. At one point we were dating other people, and I remember his girlfriend being one of those petite, buxom types that I don’t typically stand too close to for fear of comparison. He broke up with her and a few months later, I found myself single and more than a little interested in my friend. But, that’s all we were. Now, I’m fairly tall and even at my thinnest, the term “big-boned” comes to mind. Having known who he’d dated before me, I’d be lying if I didn’t feel the slightest bit self-conscious and reluctant to make the first move. One night while we were watching a movie, he looked at me with dreamy eyes and told me, “I love your personality.”

He meant it as a compliment. We had a ton in common and I knew he really enjoyed having someone he could talk to. But at that moment in time, I would have given anything for him to tell me that he wanted me as a wanton sex object and not just as a cool chic to hang out with!

And that is the moment in my life that inspired a fairly large section of dialogue in which our heroine throws a tantrum after hearing how much the hero values their friendship. I feel like offering myself and bits and pieces of my own life into my books helps give them an air of authenticity that I don’t believe would be there otherwise.

About Chasing the Other Tisdale

She’s the other sister…

Overshadowed by the beauty of her older sister, Lillian is better known as the other Tisdale; unremarkable and unsure how she will ever deliver on the promise of her family’s name.

He’s a rake in need of reforming…

Will Colton leads a frivolous existence, embracing notoriety instead of managing his family’s fortune. Determined to forget his financial burden and his father’s growing resentment, he maintains a lifestyle dedicated to pleasure and self-indulgence. When Will is invited to the Tisdale estate for an extended holiday, he never expects to become friends with the forgettable Lillian. But when a family secret comes to light, he must choose between leaving London and protecting the honor of one woman or staying and risking the reputation of another.

Upon his return, Will finds the girl he left behind has come out of the shadows and into her own. Lillian’s finally the center of attention, and not all of it good. With his own reputation in tatters, can a reformed rake lure her out of the hands of London’s bachelors and back into his own arms? Can he escape his past and reclaim her heart, or has he lost her forever?

Chasing the Other Tisdale, Compromising Miss Tisdale and Taming Miss Tisdale from Soul Mate Publishing are all available now on Amazon.

Excerpt

When Lillian Tisdale dreamt of that magical moment when she would fall in love, she never imagined that it would be so sudden, so complete, or so…

Literal.

Lilly, as she was more commonly known, sat cradled in between a large branch and the massive trunk of the hundred year old willow tree near the pond at Brightly, her family’s ancestral estate. She set her sketch book and charcoal pencil down on the branch and took a moment to appreciate the scenery before her. Brightly was noted for its lush gardens and rolling green hills, and she found it impossible to imagine any other property in England being as lovely.

This was her favorite tree, had been for years, and one of the only places she could disappear to when she felt the need for a respite from her three sisters and older brother. She relished the quiet of her hiding place, the silence disturbed only by the soft wind skimming the pond, the rustling of the leaves in the oak groves, and the occasional coo of a nesting bird.

“You naughty minx!”

Lilly startled, the unexpected sound of a man’s voice coming from out of nowhere. She steadied herself against the branch in front of her, knocking her sketchbook onto the ground in the process. She sighed, doubting the book would survive the fall intact. She’d spent the last of her pin money on that sketchbook and wouldn’t be able to afford a new one for at least a month. Her parents, for all their wealth, were sticklers when it came to their children’s allowances.

“You’re a wicked, wicked man, Mr. Colton!”

This time, the voice was distinctly female and the name she mentioned sounded familiar…

About the Author

Jessica Jefferson makes her home in northern Indiana, or as she likes to think of it—almost Chicago. She is heavily inspired by classic sweeping, historical romance novels, but aims to take those key emotional elements and inject a fresh blend of quick dialogue and comedy. She invites you to visit her at jessicajefferson.com and read more of her random romance musings.

Happy Boxing Day!

The origin of the term “Boxing Day” is uncertain, but the European tradition may have come from as far back as Roman times, when owners would present slaves and people of lesser status with gifts on Saturnalia. Or the term may have come later when it was the custom to place metal boxes outside churches to collect alms for the poor and needy on the Feast of St. Stephen, which falls on the same day.

In the English tradition, Boxing Day was a time to reward servants, tenants and tradesmen with gifts of money and/or food. Because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, it was tradition to give them the next day off to spend with their families.

Kissing Bough

Fox hunting was a popular sport on Boxing Day as well. The weather was usually not too much of a problem; contrary to popular thought, the winter weather in much of England tends to be quite mild. The winter of 1813, when A Twelfth Night Tale takes place, was a particularly cold one. But that didn’t stop Lucy and Andrew from braving the cold to collect greenery to embellish Livingston Hall with Christmas cheer on Christmas Day. Nor did it prevent them from taking the children and distributing boxes to the community on Boxing Day.

These activities had the effect of pulling Andrew out of his melancholy and opening his eyes to the desirability of the grown-up Lucy. Lucy dared to hope that Andrew’s attentiveness might be a sign that he was seeing her with new eyes. But he was still nursing a broken heart, and with an offer of marriage from a wealthy viscount expected at any moment, could she afford to gamble that Andrew would come up to scratch before it was too late?